AMHERST – Under the lights at under-renovation McGuirk Alumni Stadium that will house University of Massachusetts football games for the first time in three years come September, 82 players donned helmets and picked up footballs for the first time in front of their new Mark Whipple-led coaching staff Sunday night.

Evidence of the newest era of UMass football could be felt without ever setting foot inside the stadium. Or rather, it could be heard.

Box speakers propped up on stands along the 50-yard line blared music as the Minutemen kicked off their 15-session spring training camp.

The atmosphere was festive and loose. The music, an eclectic mix of everything from hip hop and hard rock to the dulcet crooning of Frank Sinatra, was far from the stodgy, regimented atmosphere of the Charley Molnar days.

And though the padding was as bare-bones and the drills as watered down as could have been expected for a practice in early March, the occasion very much signaled the start of something new, something different.

Whipple came away pleased with his first impressions.

"I thought the enthusiasm was good. I thought the guys were prepared, I thought they were excited, and that's what you want," he said. "With that kind of attitude, we can only get better, which we will.

And the music? It may have to be tweaked a bit, but he liked that, too.

"That's just kind of the way things have been going in college football and even some parts of the NFL," Whipple said. "We let the players pick the songs – we'll probably dump a few and pick others – but I think it makes you concentrate better."

Whipple said he'll probably end up turning the volume down when it comes to periods of practice where something new or complex needs to be taught. But for now, it's helping to foster a more relaxed, constructive environment UMass hopes will feed into a quick turnaround after back-to-back 1-win seasons.

"I just believe in being positive. And I think they've taken to that a little bit," Whipple said. "I saw some guys competing in that way, and I thought there was a lot of respect between the offense and defense.

Sophomore A.J. Doyle, the No. 1 quarterback on the roster who will likely have to fight for his job after reinforcements arrive over the summer, enjoyed how the season began.

"It was a lot of fun. We've had meetings and walkthroughs, but it was nice to finally get a ball in my hands and throw it around," he said. "It was nice to be out there in front of the coaches and show what we can do."

He described the first practice as having a "lighter feeling" than what the team was used to under Molnar.

"We're able to play football now. We don't have to worry about much other than playing football," he said. "It's a lot of fun, and I think we're just getting back to playing football like we did in high school and like we planned on coming into college. We're ready and we're excited for the new coaching staff. We know we're not a 2-22 team, but we have to go out there and prove it."

It'll take some time before the team is ready to play its annual spring game April 16, Whipple said. Without full pads or contact, these early practices are more about seeing who's had their noses in the playbook and who's been working in the weight room.

"At times you can get frustrated, but it's all new," he said. "I thought they came out and did a lot of good things on both sides of the ball. I saw the guys get better in practice, and then you show them the tape and show them what we want and how to do it."

Getting players into meetings with coaches is the next crucial step. Whipple purposely spent little time scouring over last year's film in hopes of coming into the season without any preconceived notions of players. Now he wants to see how they'll respond to new coaching and new ideas.

"We'll stay with the same schedule and install different plays, different schemes and take another step," he said. "They'll have (tape) to be able to watch themselves, and I think that'll make a big difference.

"With how they've gone so far, I wouldn't doubt that they're going to improve tremendously from day one to day two."